Sketch Of The Late Archbishop Hughes
Arohbishop Hughea died at bis resjdence in Madison avenue, New York, on Sunday evening. Ho was born in 1796, in the north ofireland, whence his father, a small farmer, eniigraetd to this country in 1817. Young Hughes was first placed with a florist to learn gnrdening, but not liking tbis business, söon entered the theological seminary at Mou,nt Si.' Mary's, Emmetsburg, Maryland, where he aoted for several years as a teacher. In 1825 he was ordained a priesi, aoci sppoint'ed tp a parish in Philadelphia, and remained in that city till 1837, when he was delegated by the Pope as an assistant tp Bisbop DuBois, ol New York, tben old and iufirre. ]fn January, 1833,' Bishop' Hughes was consecrated, aud almost imtnediately took active charge of bis important diocese, bis venerable superior suflering under repeated paralytic attacks, which confined him to his house; on the death of the old prelate, in 1842, Bishop Hughes, of course, succeeded birn. He bad previously been appointed administrator of the diucese; bad visited Europe to obtain pecuniary aid for it ; had established and opened St. Johu's College, Ford ham ; had taken a prominent part in the movement against our common school system as applied to the Catholics, and wíis, in fact, already the repesentative man of his cbureh. In 1842 be held the fir.st diocesan synod in New York. In In 1848 he again went to Europe to procure the services of soine Jesuit teachers. In 1850 the diocese of New York, iucluding th,O3e counties in the State jouth. of 42"" and a part of New Jersey, was raised to the dignity of an Archiepiscopal See, and Bisbop Hughes again went to 'Europe tp to receive the palliuin from the hands of the Pope, In 1854 he again visited Home to be present at the ojíjcial prpmulgation of the Immaculate Concéption, and returcing interested himself in the project of building a cathedral in New York worthy of the place aud diocese ; and in August, 1853, he laid the coruer-stone of the structure on the Í3fiti avenue, which, however, bas as yêt reached but little ab.qve the foundation wall8. The next visit of the Bishop to Europe was on a politieal rather thau an ecelesiastieal errand, for, ns is generally understood, with the sanction of our government, if not at lts request, he went abroad with Mr. Thrlow1 Yeed, tq en deavor, by bis personal iufluence and. representatioi!, to adyance the cause of the North. ïhis 'ia'however, not the only politieal reminiscence of the life of the 14te Arc.hbighqp. In 1846 President Polk offered him a special ' niiss,iqn tq Mexico, which he declined to accept ; and during every administraticm sïnce Mr. Polk's, Archbisbop Hughes has counted amung bis politieal and personal friends mauy of the leading men in official positions at Washington. As the leader of a powerful church he possessed immense iofluenee, which be generally wielded in true faith and loyalty for the benefit of bis adopted country. Arcbbishop Hugheg, wbile a man of cducation and taste, was noted as a controversialist rather than as a soholar and tbeologian. As long ago as 1830 he acepted a challenge from Rev. John Breekenridgo to discuss the question, " Is the Protestant religión the religión of Christ ?" - a discussion which wasrenevved in 1854 on not a dissimilar question. In 1840, on the eoiumon-school question, the Archbishop wrote laïgely, often defeuding himself through the pres?, and ueyer sbrinking from the numerous discussions to whioh bis aption pu this unpopular question led. In 1855 he bad anuther exoiting discussion with Mr. lrastus Brooks, "tben State Secator - a discussion carried on in the newspapers (with considerable acrimony on both sidos,) and rclating to tho disposition of certain church proporties in Buffalo, vested in Bishop Hughes personally. n arrangement which was alíeged as ''contrary to the law of the State Legislature vesting the titles to all church properties in trustees. As usual in such cases, both controversinlists claimed tbo victory; and though the friends of Mr, Broolrs miiintained the superiority of his arcunients, the Bishop on his side considered his own so concliiaive fhat he published tbc entire correspoudence in a volume, witb an iotroduction reviewing the trustee system. Archbisbop Hughes was in no respect an Episcopal recluso. Jíe was au ejperieuced man of the world, a woeker of great perseverance and energy, and a prelate of undoubted ambition and ability. To hini the Itoman C:ithoÜQ diocese of New iork owes very mucb of its temporal prosperity ; and with that phase of its career rather than in its purely ecelesiasiiiQaï ;tnils, will the late Arcbbishop bo remenibered. Ho wae, perhaps. the yory man needed for the position ; i'er bis shrewdness and good practical sense, ra.ther t'jan an abstrapt order of sanotity, was what the Koman Catbolic Churob in America, roquired. A personal friend of the Pope, a supposed candidato for the Cardinal's bat, the recognized leader of his church on this continent, and a rpan of ability i not of genius, his death will be regretted by a wide cirelo of frieuds both in tbis country and Europe, and will be heard of even in the Vatiean with no ordinary interest. E3P" Rjehes nre no evidence of personal worth. The Colchian ram had a fleeca of gold, but he was probably very moap ïnutton. SS" New York priut asserts that tbo great Boston organ contaiua all tho pipes that could be fojjnd in tho country, except Jeemes Pipes of Pipesville, and is distinguished iVom all other moral iuBtruraents by havÍDg a doublé of night feeys.
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Old News
Michigan Argus